Project R.A.R.E

Chapter 10 – Countdown

The night after the pillow fight, everything felt a little more real. Three days. That's all they had left before the escape. As the lights in the facility dimmed and the usual robot patrol passed by their doors, the girls gathered in the secret room once again—this time with notebooks, maps, and nervous excitement.

Willow stood by the blueprint spread out on the floor, one hand glowing faintly as she pointed at key areas. "If we time it right, we can use the ventilation shaft here—Coral said it's unmonitored after midnight."

"I still say we sneak out during breakfast," Daisy said while munching on a stolen cookie. "No one suspects a girl with crumbs on her face."

"You always have crumbs on your face," Wither deadpanned, making everyone snicker.

Winter traced her finger along a backup exit marked in red. "If the main path gets blocked, this hallway might glitch out again. I can try to control it, but it's risky."

Sakura, sitting cross-legged and levitating her pencil, added quietly, "We'll need distractions. Maybe even fake alerts. I can read the guards' minds for shift changes."

Coral raised an eyebrow. "And who's volunteering to create chaos?"

All eyes turned to Daisy, who grinned like she'd just been chosen for prom queen. "Finally, a job suited for me."

Willow chuckled, but her voice sobered. "No mistakes. We've come too far."

There was a quiet beat as everyone looked at each other—six girls who didn't know each other just over a month ago, now planning to risk everything together.

"So... escape prep in the morning?" Coral asked.

"Right after breakfast," Wither nodded. "We'll blend in, grab what we need, and stash it in the storage room."

"And if anything goes wrong..." Winter began.

"We improvise," Willow finished.

But before the meeting could get too serious, Daisy tossed another pillow at Wither. "Now that'ssettled... I vote we finish the night with popcorn and a horror movie."

Wither caught the pillow mid-air and grinned. "Only if I get to pick it."

Coral sighed dramatically. "If it's another movie with wolves in it, I swear—"

"Too late," Wither smirked. "It's Werewolf Nights III: Fangs of Fate."

"Again?!" groaned three voices at once.

Laughter filled the room, soft and genuine. And for just a moment, the escape plan, the fear, and the weight of R.A.R.E. faded. They were just six girls with mismatched powers and a wild plan... who also happened to be terrible at picking movies.